Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

New catalytic technologies are known to be central to technical solutions for sustainable development.Heterogeneous bimetallic catalysts find numerous applications in the petrochemical, fine chemical and foodindustries, as well as in fuel cells, bio-fuel production, and in the environmental sector for reducing thepollution caused by greenhouse gas emissions and the release of hazardous substances into the environment.However, conventional bimetallic catalysts do not currently posses the structure desired, as traditional synthesistechniques do not offer the possibility of controlling bimetallic nanoparticle structure and size. In this project,we propose to develop novel bimetallic catalysts, using recent advances in nanotechnology with whichbimetallic nanoparticle structure and size can be precisely controlled. The proposed test application is methanedeep oxidation, a process utilized in energy production, as well as in the abatement of emissions of thisgreenhouse gas. Current Pt group catalysts are known for their fast deactivation and unstable performance,especially in the presence of water and sulfur impurities. By appropriately introducing a second component, webelieve a new class of advanced functional materials can be obtained. Precise structural control will contributeto reducing the cost of the catalyst and will significantly improve its catalytic behaviour. The strategydeveloped for the production of these catalytic materials could potentially be applied to many existing andfuture catalytic technologies. Apart from these practical implications, gaining strict control of nanoparticlestructure can offer deeper insight into surface reaction mechanisms.